Tests and Allies
by i-hate-mornings
Summary: When Angel gets captured in the episode 'The Ring', Buffy goes in after him. I didn't know where to put it so here it is. COMPLETED.
1. Chapter 1

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Tests and Allies

As she was dragged through the door by two of the men accompanying her, Buffy felt a familiar tingle at the base of her spine and she knew she had made the right decision.

He was here.

She looked around as she was brought to a halt but couldn't see him. Willow had told her late last night that there was a group of people who were capturing demons and making them fight in an arena.

Normally Buffy wouldn't have cared about what was happening to demons, but then Willow had mentioned the one thing that would make her pay very close attention. "They captured Angel."

Buffy had been on her way to L.A. half an hour later.

She didn't really have any sort of plan of attack, she just wanted to get in there and make sure he was un harmed. If he wasn't, they would pay.

So she went to the last place where Angel had been seen, and after an hour, she too had been captured.

The men brought her to a thickly painted line that seemed to divide the room and they stopped in front of it.

Coldness encased her wrist and she looked down to see a thick metal bracelet. "Jewellery? You shouldn't have. But guys, dinner and dancing is more my thing, sorry," she smirked and was rewarded with a hard punch in the back. 'Ow.' she mumbled.

A big man with greasy shoulder length brown hair stepped in front of her and grinned. "Never had a slayer in the arena before; should be interesting. You'll make me a lot of money girl."

"Yippee," she rolled her eyes then perked up "Do I get a percentage of the sales?"

He laughed then gazed at her admiringly "Yes, this will be fun."

Buffy looked at him and shook her head "Whatever."

"Okay, Slayer, here are the rules: No fighting out of the arena, bad for my interests you know; no leaving this room, although it would be damned interesting to see you try. You see that bracelet on your wrist is magical. While wearing it, if you step over this line you will die. You will turn to dust. Ask anyone, it's the truth. Oh and a special warning to you, since you are, after all, the Slayer; don't kill any of your competitors until you are in the arena and the fight actually starts. The crowd would be…_ very_… upset, which, in turn would make me… _very_... upset. I don't like to be upset."

Buffy stared at him blankly then rolled her eyes. _Oh boy_. "Psycho."

The man laughed and she smirked. "Knew it."

He grabbed her arm and shoved her over the line as he activated her bracelet. He grinned at her as he backed away, surveying the scene then he left and the others filed out after him. The doors closed firmly behind them.

Buffy glanced around at the demons and noted the mix of emotions on their faces; anger, hatred, fear, curiosity... but one gaze was missing. No Angel.

_Why didn't he appear when I entered the room? Where is he?_ She walked towards the huge black cage which dominate the room and suddenly knew he was in there.

She went inside and found him sitting on the concrete floor, back against the bars, legs drawn up to his chest, head hung low and his hands clasped tightly together. A picture of anguish.

He didn't look up as she came forward and all eyes were on her, waiting to see what she would do to her mortal enemy, a vampire.

She stood in front of him and waited. He exhaled unnecessarily and looked up slowly.

His gaze took in her new knee high leather boots and travelled up her tanned legs to her short, black, rippled cotton skirt and past the small amount of skin visible at her midriff, to her small black tank top and to the cross around her neck which he had given her that first night in the alley. He paused there for a moment then continued up her neck to his scar, still visible even after all this time; his mark, his mate. His gaze lingered on her mouth then met hers and she almost crumbled at the naked longing and blatant fear in his eyes.

Her hair was up in a careless ponytail and Angel thought she had never looked so beautiful. _What is she doing here?_

"Angel," she breathed, staring at him intensely and he returned the hard stare.

"Buffy," he stood up slowly, feeling at a disadvantage on the floor.

She stepped forward and the demons held their breath. Neither paid any attention to them; too caught up in each other.

Angel reached out and pulled Buffy to him, his lips capturing hers in an earth-shattering kiss. She reached up and wound her arms around his neck, pulling his body closer to hers as one of his hands fisted in her hair and the other snaked around her waist.

The kissed for a few more moments before he pulled back slightly. "What are you doing here?" he panted as he reined in his desire and fear.

"I came for you," she whispered and the arm around her waist tightened. She heard a noise and she turned as much as she could, still caught in Angels embrace, having completely forgotten they weren't alone.

The demons were staring at them with mixed reactions and Buffy laughed inwardly. _They have no idea._

She grinned brightly at them. "Hi I'm Buffy, The Slayer," she looked over them as she spoke and noted the few that reacted.

One of the demons stepped forward and Buffy assumed she was to recognise him as the leader.

"Angelus's Slayer," he said with a certainty that pissed her off.

"No," she corrected testily. "Angel's Slayer."

She glared at him as he chuckled and strolled slowly forward. "There's a difference?"

She put her hands on her hips and said sweetly, "Yeah, there's a difference. If this was Angelus, none of you would be alive right now. He'd have killed you all then tried to make a run for it. Or he'd have killed you while trying to make a run for it. Which ever had taken his fancy."

Angel was surprised that she knew his demon so well, for that was exactly what Angelus had been thinking earlier.

A few of the demons snickered, a couple retreated a few steps but the majority stood passively.

Behind her, Angel shifted uneasily. "You have to get out of here," he whispered in her ear and she turned around to stare at him stupidly.

"You can't stay here, you will be killed," he continued and she noted that he didn't say she _could_ be killed but _would_ be killed.

She lifted her right arm in front of his face , showing him the arm band. "I'm not going anywhere, big boy, so shut up and deal with my being here."

He grimaced as her looked at the band; she was going to have to fight. She could die. He had told her that she had to leave because she would die, and she would. If not by the competitors then by the freaks running this circus.

He looked around at the assorted demon and knew that she could best them all but he still worried about her. It's what he does.

He didn't know what he would do if he lost her again. Not that he has her now. She was Riley's girl now. At least he thought she still was. He hadn't heard any news from Sunnydale for a while and he couldn't smell the boy on her at all. She smelt like she always did; vanilla and sunshine. Life. A scent all her own.

She reached up and caressed his cheek with the back of her hand. "Stop brooding, right now." she ordered and he smiled that sexy half- smile that always melted her insides. Gods she loved him.

He looked so delectable standing there in black slacks and a black silk shirt with his trademark black duster. His hair stood up on end from more hair product than Buffy even wanted to think about and she smiled at the heat in his eyes.

This was going to be fun!

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What did you think? This was my first fanfic ever. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Everyone was practicing their moves or meditating, waiting for the next challenge. The idiot who had locked them all up, hadn't yet informed them who was to fight and everyone was anxious about having to fight the Slayer.

Buffy and Angel were the only ones doing nothing. They sat there quietly in each others arms watching the demons training and talking quietly to each other.

'Watch out for the Serd's right arm, it hides a retractable needle tipped with a poison deadly to humans," Angel had spent most of the time making sure Buffy knew what she was up against. He wanted no surprises for her.

Buffy's gaze perused the room as Angel spoke to her. She evaluated each demon; sensing their strengths and weaknesses and judging whether or no they were a threat.

There were no weapons in the room, obviously, yet some demons, like the Serd, had weapons on their body, either retractable or on it's body. One demon spat a toxin at it's enemies to stun them, leaving them open for an attack. Buffy had noticed it training before. Another demon had rows of long spikes along the ridge of his back and he was standing a ways from the group, probably hoping not to accidentally poke anyone.

All of the demons had some special skill or defence, after all that's why they were here wasn't it, but Buffy dismissed most of them with a single look.

There was really only one challenge in the room and he was standing in front of her. Her Angel. She knew she'd have to fight him eventually. She just hoped they had a plan by that stage. She wasn't going to kill him… again. They'd have to kill her.

Her musing were cut short has a green skinned demon sidled up to Angel and herself. It's skin shone as though covered in oil and the dim light reflected off of it's bald head.

'I know who you are Slayer,' it rasped and Buffy lifted an eyebrow, unimpressed. 'The one named Spike told me about you.'

Buffy groaned. Everything seemed to always come back round to that moron. Why couldn't he just die already?

She looked the demon over and noticed no outward hostility, just curiosity and something that felt like desperateness. 'Yeah, so?' she replied haughtily.

'You are well known in these parts Slayer. No less than half of this room fear you, more than that respect you and your calling and your nightly fight for peace. Not all of us are evil, as you know, but we were still captured and are forced to serve here in this circus of death. Are you going to do something about it?'

Buffy stood, dumbstruck, before she noticed a big, ugly, mean looking demon glaring daggers at Angel and she sent a slayer- strength glare at him before turning back to the green demon. 'But I'm just here for him,' she said thumbing at Angel.

'I have a family,' Buffy's eyes widened and he continued, 'so do many others. We are mostly innocents who have been caught up in this abhorrent web. We just want to go back to our families.'

How on earth was she supposed to save them and Angel and herself? She couldn't.

She opened her mouth to let him down when the double doors opened again and two men she didn't recognise strolled through carrying plates. Not the eating off kind, the writing on kind. As they passed, Buffy noticed their names or in some demons cases, their type, were printed on them.

She watched puzzled as they walked over to the wall, where, she noticed for the first time, a board for the name plates was hanging. They arranged the names in silence, inserting them into the holders as Buffy watched interestedly, while the rest of the room watched in grim, resigned silence. When they had finished and left the room the demons surged forward, scrambling to see the board, while Buffy and Angel stood back out of the way.

She looked up at Angel, a puzzled look on her face as he stared grimly at the tight knot of demons. He noticed her looking at him and he pulled her closer to him as he whispered in her ear 'It shows who is to fight next and who they are fighting against,' he said making Buffy shiver slightly.

After reading the fight schedule, the demons slowly drifted back tom what they were doing before the interruption, many doing it more vigorously.

Buffy glanced at Angel then took a couple of steps closer to the board. She looked for her name and noticed she was fighting something called Fherds. _How am I supposed to pronounce that? Is it a Fherds or is its name Fherds? Maybe the h is silent._

An electric blue demon came towards her and Buffy has a funny feeling it was the Fherds.

It stood, observing her for a few moments, then bowed to her. 'Slayer,' it's voice boomed out, making Buffy jump. 'I am honoured to be fighting against you.'

Buffy and Angel were sitting side by side against the bars of the cage, Buffy's head on Angel's shoulder. The demons around them were sitting quietly also.

Everyone was waiting to see who won.

Buffy looked around at the expressions on the faces of the demons and again noticed there was no fear, only a resigned look of helplessness.

As bad as she felt though, she knew she couldn't save them. Sure, some of them were of the non-evil variety but most of them were vicious monsters who shouldn't be let back out on the streets.

She remembered what Angel had told her not one hour ago. She'd asked him if he'd fought yet and he'd hung his head, not looking in her eyes as he nodded. When she'd asked what happened, he lifted his head and the chocolate eyes drilled into hers as he explained the fight and the following meeting with a Wolfram and Hart rep.

If Buffy was ever in a room alone with one of them, they wouldn't live to regret anything they have done or will do.

Buffy lifted her head and looked around. 'It's over.'

Angel looked towards the doors, hearing the crowd quietening down. Buffy was right.

The doors opened and a red scaly demon strolled through, surrounded by the lackeys with Jack at the front.

The red demon stood at the line, waiting to be told what to do. This disgusted Angel. These used to be powerful, savage demons and now they were cowed by weak men. It was demeaning to everything they stood for, everything Angel used to stand for… as Angelus.

Angel felt Buffy move and he looked up at her, a puzzled expression on his face as she stood.

She looked down at him. 'My turn,' she said grimly.

He stood up quickly, he'd forgotten she and the Fherds were the next to fight. The Fherds was a fierce fighter; fast, powerful, it was one of the few demons in the room that he identified as a threat.

He looked over to where the men were standing, noting the smirk on Jack's face. He was going to die. Angel would make sure of it.

He turned and grabbed Buffy by the shoulders. 'You don't have to do this. I'll do it.'

She smiled understandingly at him and cupped his cheek. 'If I don't do this, what do you think will happen?'

His gaze ticked to Jack's smirking face then back to his loves. He opened his mouth and closed it again. If she didn't fight they'd kill her. If she did fight, there was still the small possibility she could die.

Before he could say anything, she reached up and kissed him softly, pulling back when he tried to deepen it.

Smiling softly at him, she turned and walked towards Jack, a matching smirk on her face.

They had no idea what they were in for.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Angel couldn't help the lurch his heart gave as he watched Buffy walk away from him. She would be fine, he knew, but it didn't stop him from worrying like crazy.

He watched as she approached the still smirking Jack. If he lay one hand on her, barrier or no barrier, he was losing some limbs. She turned to look at him as he scowled at Jack and he nodded supportively before she turned and walked out the door.

He could hear the crowd screaming again and he stood and walked over to the viewing wall, intent on watching the match. Any harm done to her would be visited upon Jack and his crew a hundred fold. She walked into view and the crowd went wild.

Buffy glanced around the crowd and felt her apprehension rise a few notches. God, if these people were any more bloodthirsty they'd be bloody pirates. She noted the hungry, excited look on their faces and she screwed up her nose in disgust. _And Giles says humans don't know about demon and vamps. Wrong yet again, Watcher-mine!_

She stalked forward and stopped where she was told. The crowd was still going nuts but Buffy ignored them. She didn't want to kill these demons, especially not the non-evil ones, but what else was she supposed to do? With the bracelet on, she was just as much a captive as everyone else and at the moment, it was kill or be killed.

The Fherds came into view and Buffy watched it take its place. The crowd erupted again and Buffy shook her head as the guards prodded and poked at the Fherds, trying to provoke the seemingly placid demon into some sort of savage mood.

Jack's voice suddenly came over the speakers and the whole place quietened. Buffy could sense Angel watching her and she turned slightly to see him staring at her from the viewing window. She smiled slightly at him then turned back to concentrate on Jack's words.

'… special treat for you today, Ladies and Gentlemen. Not only do we have one of the legendary Fherds, we also have, the legend herself, Buffy Summers, the Vampire Slayer. The best Slayer so far, or so I am told.'

The crowd erupted yet again and Buffy grimaced. This was nuts. How could these people sit there and make bets on who was going to die? Maybe I _should_ let all the demons go, then they could kill everyone in this place. Not like they don't deserve it. Unfortunately, as much as she wanted to, Buffy couldn't let that happen. Human life, all human life, no matter how disgusting, was precious.

_Maybe I should have trained first,_ she thought as she watched the Fherds crack its neck and fingers, an action, she was sure, that wasn't meant to be menacing but still looked that way. _I could have sparred with Angel. _

Then crowd hushed again and Buffy looked up, thinking she missed something when all of a sudden a loud voice yelled 'Fight.'

The Fherds came forward with surprising speed and Buffy barely ducked in time. She rolled out of the way but the demon was there again as she straightened. She back flipped and turned quickly, anticipating its speed this time, lashing out with her leg and kicking it in its torso. _Its torso that feels like a brick wall. Ow._

The impact knocked her back a few steps and she could hear the sounds of the demons cheering, the crowd screaming for blood. Her blood. _Hey! _she thought indignantly._ It sucks being this popular._

She ducked a swing from its right arm then punched it hard in the chest, quickly concluding the chest was a no go area as she pulled back sore knuckles. It took another swing at her, this one making contact with her shoulder, claws raking her skin.

Buffy saw red. She blocked its next swing with her forearm and head butted it, driving it back a step. She stepped in and roundhouse kicked it, the Fherds taking yet another step back then she dropped and kicked its legs out from under it. It fell in a heap, but recovered quickly and heaved itself up.

For the first time in a long time, Buffy had nothing to say, no quips, no taunts no jeering, nothing. What could she say to a demon who was just fighting for his life, as she was?

Unfortunately for him, he was going to lose and Buffy couldn't help but feel helpless. There was nothing she could do to save him, any of them and that pissed her off even more. Jack was gonna die.

She grabbed the demons arm as he lunged at her and threw him over her hip, driving him into the ground. She could faintly hear Angel yelling and she glanced over to him. He pointed towards a wall that held a few swords and some knives. She shook her head at him and ducked as the demon came forward again. This was lasting entirely too long. The Fherds just kept coming at her. _Like the Energiser Bunny,_ she thought humourlessly.

The demon started to get more aggressive and Buffy found herself blocking more attacks. She understood; the heat of battle was getting to him and the fight was getting more instinctual. He was really starting to get desperate, fighting to stay alive.

Buffy failed to block a stunning blow and she landed on her back, screams of cheer resounding from the crowd she'd so far been able to block out. The Fherds stalked towards her and the Slayer's instincts came to the fore. It demon, she slayer.

She flipped to her feet and took a fighting stance. It reached out to grab her and she latched onto the arm, spinning it around and throwing it against the closest wall. The one that happened to have all the weapons on it.

The demon grabbed a short sword and swung at her crazily. She dodged out of the way and came up behind it, kicking it in the back. It stumbled, then swung wide, Buffy just ducking the decapitating blow. She back-flipped to the wall, removing a sword for herself and ducked out of the way as it jabbed at her.

_Time to end this,_ she thought when the blade sliced across her stomach and hip in a blow she was too slow to dodge. She blocked the next blow, kicked it in the legs then head before moving back to circle it. It was getting weak now. The few blows she'd managed to land and the running after her were taking toll on the demon and it was slowing down. She was going to win.

She lunged and again the demon blocked her but with less vigour than it had earlier. It made a half hearted attempt to run her through but she flipped over it's head and drove the sword home, through it's heart, killing it instantly.

It fell face first to the ground and Buffy stood, panting harshly, hand on the throbbing cut on her hip. The crowd was going crazy but Buffy didn't even glance at them.

She turned abruptly and made her way over to the door she'd entered through. She stood, waiting until the doors opened, then walked calmly through, ignoring the screaming crowd.

Jack appeared at her side as she walked through the hall towards the holding area. He was grinning like a madman and in that moment, Buffy wanted to kill him more than she'd ever wanted anything before. _Psycho bastard._

'Well done, Miss Summers, well done. Better than even I expected. You truly are amazing. If only I could harness that power.' he sighed regretfully. 'Oh well. You'll just have to become our main attraction,' he laughed and announced to the empty corridor, 'Any demon who wants to fight the Slayer, sign up. Ten thousand to the demon who kills her. Or,' he said thoughtfully. 'We could have an arena grand event. One time only. The Slayer fighting for her life against the very thing she is born to fight against; a vampire, though even better… _a souled one. _One she cares_-_'

His words were cut off as Buffy turned and slammed him against the wall, her hand wrapped around his neck. Jack's guards all of a sudden seemed to come out of nowhere, pointing guns at her so she had no other choice but to back off slowly. She continued to glare at him. If she couldn't kill him, she'd make damned sure something else did.

He laughed hoarsely as he rubbed his sore neck then gestured for the guards to escort her back to the cell. His laughter followed her down the hall.

Her shoulders slumped as they turned the corner and the guards kept close to her, guns trained on her. That fight with Angel was coming earlier than she thought it would. What was he going to say about that? Before they made it back to the holding area, however, a flash of light blinded them for a moment then it faded leaving a woman with shoulder length, tawny coloured hair standing there.

'Hello Miss Summers. I'm Lilah Morgan. Let's talk.'


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Angel paced restlessly in the holding area, waiting anxiously for Buffy to enter. The demons watched him warily, worried about what he would do. His hands were clasped behind his back and he stalked the length of the room over and over again, pausing intermittently to listen for signs of her reappearance.

His mind went over the battle as he paced. She'd looked so angry, yet so defeated when she'd walked towards the gate. Her head was down but he could tell she was ashamed of herself and she was trying no to cry. It was a hard thing to kill an innocent, even if that innocent was not human. She knew the difference between a good demon and a bad demon, after all she accepted the difference between Angelus and Angel didn't she? So to kill a demon that was essentially an innocent, it must be killing her inside.

He heard a noise out in the corridor and his head jerked up. Was that Lilah's voice? _Damned Wolfram and Hart bastards. If they do anything to her… _he let the threat hang and listened to what he could from where he stood. He could hear someone yelling and he itched to jump the thick red line and get to Buffy but he knew it was impossible. What good would be to her if her were dust?

Buffy stared at the woman in front of her. The woman, Lilah, was smirking like she knew something Buffy didn't. The guards kept their weapons trained on Buffy so she figured this Lilah woman was known and not feared around here.

'I'm sorry,' Buffy said wryly, looking the woman over. 'I'm actually not giving autographs out right now… however if you talk to Jack, I'm sure he can work something out.'

The smirk slipped from Lilah's face and she stood a little taller. 'As I said, _Miss Summers…_' sugary sweetness dripped from the words and Buffy just stood there, unimpressed by this woman. She reminded Buffy of Cordelia. 'My name is Lilah Morgan and I work for Wolfram and Hart. You and I need to talk.'

Recognition hit Buffy and she sneered at Lilah. Angel mentioned his visit from Wolfram and Hart. 'Let's get this straight right now, Lilah. I'm not going any where with you or doing anything for you… ever. Go back to whatever hellhole you crawled out from and leave me and everyone I know alone.'

Buffy could see how angry Lilah was becoming. Obviously she didn't get told off like this a lot. Pity. A deep red flush spread up Lilah's neck and onto her cheeks.

'You don't seem to understand, Miss Summers,' she said quietly. 'You are coming with me and believe me, you'll want to hear what I have to say.' She looked over the guards. "Miss Summers is coming with me.'

To Buffy's amazement the men backed off and lowered their guns. She looked at the guard to her left and he growled at her. She stared at him in amusement. Did he actually think he frightened her? Angel's growls were scarier than that. Although Angel was more likely to purr when he was around her. 'Ooh, she strikes fear into men too. Wow Lilah. You seem to have it all. You're… somewhat okay looking, you've got a high powered job working for an evil law firm, one which would crush you like a bug if necessary and you're a bitch. I **so **don't envy you.'

Buffy couldn't help but invoke some of her old attitude left over from her days at Hemery High. If Lilah thought she intimidated her, she had another thing coming. Buffy had seen things a lot worse than an evil lawyer. _Do I even need to say evil? Don't people just assume that, when you say "Lawyer"?_

Lilah came forward and took Buffy by the arm. Next thing Buffy knew, they were standing in a nicely furnished office in what she assumed to be the building of Wolfram and Hart. The lawyer let go of her arm then walked around the huge desk in front of her and sat in the very real leather chair. 'Now, Miss Summers… can I call you Buffy? Right,' she said without waiting for an answer, not the Buffy was going to bestow her with one. 'Buffy it is then. Buffy, we at Wolfram and Hart are trying to-'

'I don't care,' Buffy cut in loudly. 'I don't care what you want, I don't care who you are. I don't even care what you do because I don't have to. This is Angel's town now. I take care of Sunnydale. So guess what… I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear anything come out of your mouth because your just wasting air and my time.'

Lilah sat extremely still for a few moments after Buffy's outburst, too shocked to move and Buffy stared straight at her. She just wanted to get back to Angel. She wanted him to tell her everything was going to be fine. Lilah stood up quickly, her face a mask of anger.

'Listen to me, you little-'

'Oh, shut up,' Buffy cut her off again. This was beyond annoying. 'I'm telling you now. I will not listen to anything you have to say. No deals, no bargains, no threats. Just take me back to Angel. NOW. Obviously you know who I am, Lilah.'

Lilah glared at her then all of a sudden her face changed and she look calm, as though they were simply people talking in a hallway and it confused the hell out of Buffy. She realised why when the door opened a moment later and a good looking man with shoulder length hair entered the room. He glanced appreciatively at Buffy then looked to Lilah.

'Lilah,' his voice had a pleasant Texan twang to it but Buffy wasn't the slightest bit interested in him, though from the looks he gave her he liked what he saw...

'Lindsay. Look, I'm a little busy right now. Maybe you could come back later. Maybe never,' the last bit was muttered under her breath but Buffy heard it clearly. She smiled slightly. Maybe she could use this Lindsay to her advantage.

'Lindsay, huh? I'm Buffy,' Buffy reached forward and shook hands with him. Lindsay's eyes widened and Lilah winced. Ooh, no one knew about this.

'Lilah, Lilah, Lilah. Just what are you up to?' Lindsay's eyes were full of amusement. Buffy smiled. Lilah was trying to cover the deer-caught-in-headlights look and it was pretty funny. Maybe Lindsay would send her back to where Angel was. _Wait… isn't Lindsay a girls name?_

'Go suck up to the Senior Partners, Lindsay. I don't need your bullshit right now. I have things to do that don't concern you.'

'Excuse me.' They both turned to look at Buffy, obviously they'd both forgotten she was even there. 'Can I go now?'

Lilah looked as though she wanted to say more but Lindsay's presence kept it from coming out. She gave her a look that said- This isn't over and Buffy sent her own- Wanna Bet? glare back at her. The last thing she saw as she was leaving the room was Lilah turning on Lindsay with a very angry face and Lindsay's smirk.

Lindsay knew very well what he'd interrupted.

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What did you think? Let me know.

Reviews are a writers best friend. :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Angel was going crazy, imagining things Wolfram and Hart could be doing to Buffy and was almost completely insane by the time she finally reappeared. She looked shaken but relatively unharmed and he gathered her close the moment she stepped over the thick line.

Buffy had appeared in the hallway just outside the door, completely alone and still smirking. _Good luck, Lindsay, _she'd thought as she'd opened the door. All other thoughts had fled, however, as her gaze had lit upon a stressed out Angel and room of very worried demons.

She now stood wrapped in his arms and struggled to not beak down and cry it all out on his shoulder. She didn't think it would send the right sort of image about her to the demons, not that hugging and kissing didn't do that anyway. Angel kissed the top of her head and she lifted her head from his shoulder and looked him in the eyes.

'Wolfram and Hart wanted to meet with me,' she said and his eyes narrowed. She placed a soothing hand on his cheek and smiled lightly at him. 'I don't think Lilah likes me.'

Angel eyes widened. They'd actually sent Lilah to talk to Buffy? He was about to ask Buffy what Lilah had told her when she broke into his thoughts saying offhandedly, 'I don't think her bosses knew she was meeting with me. She looked _real_ nervous when Lindsay barged into the office. It was pretty funny actually.'

He looked down at her, shocked. Lilah was going behind the Senior partners backs? It didn't seem right. The more likely scenario was that Lilah was doing the Senior partners bidding and Lindsay wasn't supposed to know about any of it.

'What did Lilah-' he began but Buffy cut him off with a Duh! Look.

'After what you told me, do you really think I let her say anything to me? She got so pissy 'cause I kept cutting her off. Then Lindsay came in and she got all worked up again. Hey, is there something going on between them? If not, there should be. The chemistry? Damn!'

Angel stared at her bewildered. 'Buffy, tell me everything that happened, word for word, from the start.' he said calmly.

She looked sheepish for a moment. 'Guess you didn't get most of that, huh? Okay,' she sighed and told him everything that had happened from when she left the ring, to when she appeared outside the doors to this room.

He was silent for a few minutes, trying to digest it all and Buffy took that time to watch the demons around them. Once she had appeared, most seemed to go back to whatever it was they were doing, the tenseness and apprehension gone, others sat there, staring into space. More than one demon, however, was watching the two of them closely.

'We have to find a way out of here, Angel. We can't stay here much longer. I have things I need to get to back home. Dawn can't really be left alone right now, Willow's a little fragile and-,' Angel's face was blank, a mask in place and Buffy looked at him, puzzled. 'What's wrong?'

'Why did you come here, Buffy?' he asked in a strange sort of voice.

Buffy was confused. 'What do you mean, why did I come here? I came to save you,' she said, like it was the most natural thing in the world to want to come after him and protect him.

'I mean, why are you here? There are things in your life that are more important to you now. So why come here when you know you're needed at home?'

Buffy looked at him like he was crazy. 'I may be needed at home, Angel, but it's not urgent-end-of-the-world needed. You were in trouble, I came, end of story. Are you telling me you wouldn't do the same?'

'I would always come for you,' he replied softly and Buffy felt tears in her eyes. 'No matter what, I would be there for you.'

Buffy reached up and pulled his head down to hers, claiming them in a searing kiss, uncaring of the demons who watched on. She pulled away moments later and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say a word, a loud bang came from the back corner of the room, where two demons had started to fight.

Buffy frowned then looked at Angel. 'We should stop that,' she said and he agreed. Jack would probably find someway to blame this on him, probably for not breaking it up.

Buffy and Angel walked quickly over to the feuding demons and attempted to put a stop to the fight. Unfortunately, both demons were stronger than they looked and both _really_ wanted to fight. Denied fighting each other, the demons turned on Buffy and Angel and began to attack.

Buffy dodged a punch from the spiky demon she was fighting and spared a glance for Angel. He was holding his own against an Greshta demon. _I know what the demon is. See Giles, I do pay attention,_ she thought triumphantly. The Greshta was mostly a placid demon and only attacked when it sensed danger to itself or its family. That meant Buffy knew who started the fight.

She kicked the demon in the chest and dodged under its arm to come up behind it and double punch it in the back. It roared and tried to turn and grab her by the neck but again she was too quick. She grabbed its arm and snapped it back, not breaking it but causing a serious amount of pain. She kicked it behind the knee and it fell to the ground, then she punched it in the face, hard, knocking it out. Angel was still struggling with his demon and Buffy watched as the Greshta took a swing at him, raking its claws across his beautiful chest.

'Hey,' she protested and ran forward to help Angel out. She kicked the demon in the face, then swung round and delivered a nasty kick to its temple. The Greshta crumpled to the ground and Buffy turned to help Angel up. She pushed up the bottom of the ruined shirt and examined the claw marks. The furrows weren't deep and Buffy breathed a sigh of relief.

'They're not deep. You'll live to fight another day,' she said wryly. She looked at the unconscious demons. 'Think Jack will be "_upset"_?'

Angel laughed and pulled Buffy against his aching chest. Even if Jack was, if he touched Buffy, he was a dead man. Not that he wasn't already, fifty times over. Angel knew Cordelia and Wesley were working on opening the bracelets. _Come to think of it, what the hell is taking them so damned long? I thought Wesley was a genius._

As they settled down to sleep, later that night, Buffy wondered if anything would come from the fight today. After all, one of Jack's main rules was no fighting in between matches.

She woke still snuggled in Angels arms and she stifled a smile. It felt so right to be here, in his arms. Why didn't he see that? She felt Angel stir and watched as he opened his sleep hazed, chocolate coloured eyes. She did smile this time. He was so gorgeous, it took her breath away. She leant in to kiss him. He met her halfway and she sighed at the feel of his lips against her own. Heaven.

The doors burst open a moment later, and Buffy and Angel jerked apart. Angel stood quickly, pulling Buffy with him, then left the cage to see what the commotion was about.

Jack and his henchmen stood there, guns drawn, making an impressive picture. Buffy, however, was unimpressed. 'What the hell do you want,' she said loudly before she realised it. He looked at her, unamused and she glared right back.

'Good news, Slayer,' he said and Buffy had a feeling she wasn't going to like this "news". 'I saw the fight that happened here last night,' he glared at the two demons who were sporting impressive bumps and bruises. One cradled his arm. 'And I gotta say, I was impressed. The way the two of you worked together was amazing. So in tune. I like that. So I said to myself, Jack, how could you use this and I came to this conclusion. Team fighting.'

Buffy raised her eyebrows and just looked at him. _Team fighting? Psycho._

'What's that, I hear you say. Well Slayer, you and your boyfriend are going to fight as a team and you're going to fight to survive, of course, anything I throw at you. Great entertainment for all.'

Buffy made to protest but he looked directly at her and asked ,'Would you prefer I pit you against your boy?'

Buffy shook her head and he smiled jovially. 'Right. It starts tonight. The Slayer and the Vampire with a soul. An exclusive fighting pair. Never before seen, almost indestructible. Good luck with that,' he said then turned and left the room.

Buffy looked at Angel with dread settling in her stomach. _Oh well, _she thought. _At least I'm fighting with him and not against him. There are some small miracles. _

Angel was thinking the same thing. Working together. He could at least be there to make sure nothing happened to her. If anything did, then he could rip off the head off whoever harmed her.

Jack's men went to the board and arranged the names. When they left, Buffy and Angel examined it then moved away from the board to the back of the room, watching silently as the demons went up to it one by one. Two demons stood in front of it at the end. One was tall and lanky, a garish pink colour and it smelt of rotten eggs. The other was small and heavily built. It reminded Buffy of a small bull dozer; well built. The demons turned to look at Buffy and Angel and each wore an identical look of hunger on it's ugly face.

These demons were not of the friendly persuasion, and although Buffy had been after a real challenge, she still felt some trepidation at the look in the demons' eyes. They would not be easy to defeat.

The demons regarded her and Angel for a few moments longer, then walked off, presumably to ready themselves and Buffy and Angel looked them over with one identical thought. _Damn._


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The doors opened and Angel, followed by Buffy, walked out into the ring. Ignoring the gathered crowd, they walked over to stand where they were told to wait. Angel was watching Jack while Buffy was watching the doors, waiting for the demons' to come through. Both were calm and confident.

During the day they'd talked, had smoochies and had come up with a pretty sound strategy. Fight and don't die. Buffy thought it was a very well thought out strategy. _Besides, it's not like I have Giles to plan for me. My plans work out better anyway. Usually._

The two demons' entered the ring and Buffy watched them take their places. They looked confidant too. Suckers. They were fighting against Angel; a vampire with a soul, the legendary Angelus, and herself; a Vampire Slayer. They were going down.

The demons made threatening movements and Buffy's eyes widened incredibly. Did they think they were scary? They obviously hadn't met a PMSing Slayer in a dark graveyard. She flexed her fingers, then her neck and finally stretched tall, undoing any kinks in her back. Once she was loose and ready she smiled and waves to the demons, who snarled back at her. She rolled her eyes. _Whatever._

Angel was still staring at Jack and Buffy watched him curiously. She'd never seen him like this; angry, confined, _murderous. Okay, maybe that last one is in my head. _There was something hiding under the surface though, she could feel it. Angel wanted revenge for everything they had done and everything that had been done to her. It was kinda sweet in a caveman sort of way.

Jack lent forward and picked up the mike. The whole room was instantly silent and all eyes were on him. He explained what was happening and introduced the new line up. The two demons across from her were a Numbas and a Pintos. Which was which, Buffy didn't know.

He told, no, _ordered_, the "contestants" to get into positions and the demons surged forward together as he yelled 'fight'.

The smaller one came for Buffy, not that she was complaining. It was the more heavily built of the two demons and after a while, Buffy realised its strategy seemed to be; body slam her or sit on her. _Eh, _she made a disgusted sound._ Squashed slayer; so not appealing. _She kept having to scramble back to avoid its meaty feet when it tried to stamp on her and get out of its way when it tried to body slam her.

Angel wasn't faring any better. The demon he was fighting didn't look like much and really, it wasn't. It was its damned speed that was getting him. The bastard was fast. It seemed to pop up from nowhere and punch him, then disappear just a quickly before he had a chance to retaliate. He felt his face change to that of the demon inside him and it gave him an extra edge. He was slightly faster, his senses were heightened and reflexes had improved considerably. The demon popped up in front of him and went to punch him. Angel grabbed its fragile looking hand and squeezed. The demons eyes widened and Angel felt a small flicker of satisfaction. He quickly glanced over to Buffy and, satisfied that she was okay, returned his attention to the demon in front of him. He bent the demons arm back slowly, then punched his open hand into its chest, throwing it almost halfway across the room.

Buffy saw the demon go flying out of the corner of her eyes and smirked as she realised Angel was severely pissed off and showing it. The demon she was fighting still seemed content to try and sit on her and Buffy was finding it completely unchallenging. Five minutes later, she'd had enough and sent a spinning kick to its midsection, tumbling it back onto the ground. It got to its feet slowly and, with an angry look in its eyes, it lumbered towards her again.

She punched it in the face then went to walk around to its back, intending to trip it up. Before she made a move, however, the demons arms locked around her like a vice and began to squeeze. By that time, Buffy realised that the demon had been playing with her, waiting for her to let her guard down and become lax in her defence. Iot was a lot faster and stronger than she'd realised. She struggled as its arms tightened considerably and her ribs began to creak. Realising she could in fact die in the next few moments, she leaned forward then reared back with every bit of strength she possessed and rammed the back of her head into its face. She heard bones crack and the demon let go of her to grab a hold of its aching face. Spots swam in her vision but she stood shakily and twirled, lashing out at the demon in a hard kick aimed at it's neck, breaking it instantly.

The demon fell heavily and Buffy followed it, falling on her butt, shaking her head to clear the pink and purple spots. _Uh oh. I don't think my head should be doing that._ Buffy rubbed her eyes and stared at the demon, sighing in relief as the dots began to clear. She looked up to check on Angel and winced as he took a particularly nasty blow to the head and went down.

'Angel,' she yelled and got up quickly, running to make sure he was okay. She knelt down beside him as he started to get up. 'Are you okay?'

'Fine,' he said angrily. He'd seen what the demon was doing to Buffy but had been unable to go over and help her. Now that he saw she was okay, he looked at the demon with renewed energy. Growling, he reached for it as it directed its next attack towards Buffy.

She moved back out of the way, sensing he needed to do this himself. If it looked bad, she'd step in of course. Pride or no pride. Buffy stood there, in the middle of the ring, and watched her vampire ex-boyfriend in awe. He moved gracefully, kicking and punching the demon, turning it into a bloody mess. He dodged the demons next few attacks and delivered a perfectly executed uppercut, breaking the demons jaw. It howled in pain and Angel reached up and grabbed its head in his massive hands. Twisting sharply to the right, he snapped the demons neck, then let it fall to the ground in a bloody heap.

Angel stood there for a few moments, panting harshly, with his fingers clenched tightly, willing himself to calm down. He felt Buffy come up beside him and he tried turn away from her, still ashamed of his demons face. A light touch on his shoulder made him pause and before he knew it, Buffy swung him back around to face her.

Buffy saw the shame in his eyes before he's turned and she decided to nip this behaviour I the bud before it progressed any further. Lifting her hands slowly to his ridged face, she placed her hands on his cheeks, resting her thumbs on the bridge of his nose and looked him in the eyes. 'We've been through this before, Angel,' she said softly, soothingly. 'I don't care what face you wear. It's all you. You once told me you'd love me even if I was covered in slime. Did you think a few ridges and a set of fangs would change the way I feel about you? It didn't then… it doesn't now.'

Angel looked into her eyes and felt sheepish. Of course she loved him no matter what. He felt the same way about her. He leaned forward and kissed her softly, tenderly. She was the most amazing person he'd ever met.

Buffy met his kiss hungrily and pulled him closer. She couldn't help but think that maybe Faith had been onto something when she said the Slaying made her horny. Or maybe it was just fighting with Angel.

They broke apart as the guards came up to them. Jack was blathering on about something on the mike as they were escorted to the gates and lead back to the holding area. They walked the whole way hand in hand.

The demons' were silent as the two lovers entered the room. Buffy raised her eyebrows and looked at those who had gathered near the door. 'What cha doing?'

'You mean you are not upset about this?' a demon to Buffy's left asked her, a puzzled look on its face.

'About what?' she returned cautiously.

'About what Jack said over the mike. While the two of you were standing out there,' he pointed in the direction of the ring.

Buffy shook her head, not understanding.

The demon came closer to them. 'You and your lover are to be the main attraction tomorrow night. The lawyer chick talked him into it.'

Buffy froze at the mention of Lilah. 'What's going on?' she asked harshly.

'You and the vampire are to fight to the death tomorrow night. Against each other.'

* * *

What did you think of this chap? Thanks to those who have reviewed.

There is only two more chaps to go!

Ambs


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

He moved like a caged panther; silent, powerful, movements so sensuous Buffy's eyes were drawn to him, to the feelings that radiated off him, permeating the room. Fear, worry, anger, frustration and hate. Buffy stood off to the side as Angel paced the room restlessly. They were supposed to fight in a couple of hours and the time between now and when they'd found out and hadn't lessened the tension at all. Neither had gotten much sleep the night before. Both worried about what the fight would bring the next day.

His hands were clasped behind his back and he stopped every few moments to check she was still there. That was part of the reason she hadn't moved in over an hour. He needed the reassurance of her presence right now. If she left his sight for a moment she had no doubt he'd go into meltdown.

Angel stopped pacing all of a sudden and turned to stare at Buffy. She'd been standing in the same place for over an hour and he was glad for her constant presence. She was staring at him and the look on her face was one that calmed him considerably. Her love for him, anger at the situation, fear of having to fight him and the constant weariness that seemed to show in her eyes lately, all shone brightly at him as he stared into their depths. She was incredibly calm and he had the brief thought that maybe they would be okay.

Something moved out of the corner of his eye and he turned to see two demons arguing over something. Before he could take a step towards them, he felt Buffy shift and he quickly turned to watch her move. She walked towards him slowly, a small smile on her face and he caught an unnecessary breath. She was so beautiful and he thanked the Powers That Be that she could love someone like him. He gave a tentative half-smile in return, trying, for her, to act as thought it would all be okay. Who knew… maybe it would be.

Buffy watched him as she sauntered up to him. She'd seen the demons argument and knew it was nothing to worry about so she'd caught Angel's attention, pulling him from trivial matters. The light from an over head lamp illuminated his face and her heart melted at the sight. He looked so forlorn, she just had to kiss him. His head came down to meet hers and she was lost for a few moments, content to forget everything in his arms. He must have felt the same, as he clutched her tightly.

Buffy pulled back eventually, needing to breathe. She ran her fingertips lightly down his cheek and along his jaw, over his lips. She studied him intensely and knew if they made it out of this in one piece, she wasn't going to let him go again. Even if she had to chain him to her bed. She smiled at the thought. _It has a certain appeal,_ she smiled as her gaze roamed his body.

'You know we don't have to fight,' she said quietly, not wanting to break the mood. 'We can simply refuse to fight each other. What can they do to us?'

Angel raised his eyebrows. 'Besides kill us both anyway?'

'Oh,' Buffy frowned. 'Didn't think of that. Duh. Of course they'd kill us. So not fighting is a non-option.'

She was silent for a few moments, brow furrowed in concentration. She knew he liked the way she looked when she did that as he reached up to stroke his finger down along her brow and over her nose.

'What about fighting, but not really fighting? Like what we used to do when we sparred. You hit me, it hit you, no real damage is done?'

Angel thought that over. It was actually a brilliant idea. Their sparring, to the outside world, looked real. They could get out of this with only a few bruises.

'There is a big problem though,' he heard her continue. He looked down at her and noted the worry on her face. He stared at her uncomprehendingly and she rolled her eyes.

'One of us is supposed to die at the end, Angel,' she paused. 'It's gonna have to be me because I an NOT staking you.'

He stumbled back from her, shaking his head wildly. 'N-no,' he stuttered, shocked. 'No.' he repeated more firmly.

'I won't stake you Angel. Anyway,' she paused, then her face lit up. 'I can fake my death.'

He stared at her. 'What?'

'You pretend to kill me. I play dead. They drag me out, you go back to the holding area. When they dump my body, I get up and go find Wes and Cordy. We get you out. Easy.'

He opened his mouth to disagree but she got in first. 'I have to do it.. You can't exactly pretend to be dust.'

Again he tried to protest but the double doors opened suddenly and Jack stepped through, a wide grin twisting his face. 'Showtime,' he laughed. 'Well almost. Time to get ready, lovebirds. The crowds are already lining up. It's gonna be a good night. Hell, who am I kidding? It's gonna be a great night.'

He motioned to the guards and they came forward and grabbed the pair, dragging them to the line. They meddled with the bracelets then hauled them out the door, Jack's laughter ringing behind them.

Buffy stood nervously in the ring. Angel stood opposite her, looking completely calm. _Damn him,_ she thought. _How can he just shut off everything? _Jack appeared and sat down in his chair. Buffy glared at him and he laughed merrily. Lilah entered and sat behind him and slightly to the left.

Jack made a move and the crowd quietened immediately, just like every other time. He lifted the mike and began to tell a patchy description of what Willow and Xander had affectionately named- well, Willow affectionately, Xander, not so affectionately- the Buffy and Angel show. His details were completely fabricated. He had to of only heard a mention of them and instead of finding out everything he could, he decided to make up the details himself.

She laughed when he told the crowd how she once tried to stake him, to save her friends from the evil vampire. He had no idea how close to the truth he was. Then he said something that had her attention completely. 'Then, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Slayer and the Vampire took hold of their forbidden love and slept together. Bringing consequences you can only imagine.'

Buffy's heart skipped a beat. _How did he know that? _She looked to Angel who seemed as stunned as she was. Before she could have a breakdown, Jack continued. 'She fell pregnant to the vampire,' Lilah rolled her eyes. 'Now, I know what your all going to say, vampires can't have children. But fall pregnant she did and all was happy until those consequences happened. The baby wasn't human,' he said the last part gravely and Buffy bit back a laugh. He had no idea what he was talking about. He just got lucky with the sleeping together thing. He didn't know Angelus had briefly come out to play.

'It turned out to be evil, a real child of a vampire. So the Slayer had the baby aborted, the Vampire left her and here they are today, Ladies and Gentlemen, ready to fight it out in the ring,' the crowd went nuts and Buffy chuckled. The crowd _was_ nuts.

'Are we all ready?' he shouted and the crowd roared. It hurt her ears and she could only imagine how Angel's sensitive ears were coping.

He turned back to the couple on the ground and yelled to the room, 'Fight.'

Buffy stayed where she was and yelled back, 'NO.'

The whole room went silent as they realised what she said. A pin could have dropped and Buffy would of heard its every bounce as it hit the ground. Even Angel was staring at her.

'Excuse me?' Jack almost dropped his mike. 'What was that?'

'I said, no,' she crossed her arms and glared at him.

'What do you mean, no?' Jack asked slowly, glancing at Lilah who was smirking.

'I'm not fighting him. I refuse to play this stupid game any longer.'

This enraged Jack and he sprang into action. He gestured at the guards, who moved forwards instantly, ready to strike on his say so. 'You will fight, Slayer. If you don't I will kill you and your Vampire,' he growled.

Buffy smiled at him then turned to a still unmoving Angel. 'It was worth a try,' she shrugged, grinning.

He slowly shook his head and watched as she moved into a fighters stance, one he'd seen many time before. He copied her actions and they both moved forward. They circled, each watching the movement of the other.

Angel made the first move. He threw a punch at Buffy who dodged it easily. They knew each others moves like they knew their own. She grabbed his arm and threw a punch at his face, smiling as he deflected it by grabbing said arm and holding it. He threw a punch at her with his free arm and she copied his movement, grabbing hold of his arm. He pulled her forward and kissed her, hard, before throwing her backwards, grinning like a mad man. It had been a long time since he'd been this evenly matched.

Buffy came forward and grabbed his arm again, feigning an uppercut, she instead stepped in and threw him over her hip, grinning when she heard his surprised exhale. She raised her eye challengingly as he got up and brushed dust of his jacket. 'Please refrain from doing that again. Cordelia loves to tell me how impossible it is to clean this thing.'

Buffy's face fell a little as she took in his words. She hated that Cordelia was so close to him. She got to see him everyday, be part of his life constantly and she knew Cordy meant a lot to him. It hurt, she wouldn't pretend otherwise. After all it was Cordelia. The same Cordelia who promised Angel would be hers.

The next punch she threw wasn't as playful as the rest as thoughts of Angel and Cordelia filtered through her brain. He must have noticed the change as his block was a little more forceful than before. _He left me. He left me because he couldn't be with me and instead he shacks up with Cordelia. CORDELIA. _She knew he wasn't with Cordy, knew he still loved her, Buffy, but couldn't help the thoughts that kept coming. Old insecurities were coming to the fore and the play fight was quickly turning much more serious as Buffy fought off the demons in her mind.

Angel knew what was going through her mind and wished he hadn't mentioned Cordy to her. He understood what she was feeling and only wanted to make it better. He felt her punch his chest and he stumbled back from the force. He narrowed his eyes at her. He knew she was reacting to thought of him and Cordy and he couldn't help but be a little angry at her for that. _What about Soldier boy? Riley? Wasn't he her new boyfriend? _She was the one with a new love, not him. His punches became harder and they began to fight in earnest. Both taking out their frustrations on each other. He blocked a punch from her and kicked her in her midsection.

She stumbled back and stared at him, tears in her eyes. 'You left me.' she stated and he stopped. 'You left me because you couldn't be with me and now you're with _her,' _her voice rose as she spoke and she all but shouted the last word. Before he could defend himself he lay flat on his back as she stood over him.

Instincts kicked in and he moved, sweeping her legs out from under her as he got to his feet. She was back up instantly, moving towards him like a predator. She punched him in the temple and he back handed her, knocking her back a few paces. His demon face was at the fore now and his eye shone yellow as he advanced on her.

'I never have been, and never will be with Cordelia. Does it really matter to you anyway?' he spat at her. Reaching forward he grabbed a hold of her upper arms, jerking her level to his face. 'You're the one with the new boy toy, Buffy, Or did you conveniently forget about him?'

Buffy pushed him violently away from her, succeeding in putting a little distance between them. Her chest rose and fell sharply, her breaths coming in gasps. Angel advanced on her again and she flinched before moving instinctively. She delivered a stunning roundhouse to his chest and he fell to the ground.

He got up and brushed him self off. He knew if they continued, he would lose. She was stronger than he was and he wouldn't have it any other way. He growled and she paused for a moment before shaking her head and punching him in the face once, twice, three times before he managed to knock her away.

Buffy threw back her hair, which was coming out of the pony tail, and circled him. She knew this was madness, but she couldn't stop herself. Everything she'd ever felt because of him, was screaming at her to take revenge, to make him hurt like her had hurt her, to make him bleed as he left her bleeding for him. She moved towards him and stumbled back as all hell broke loose.

Demons erupted into the ring and one ran directly towards Buffy, bypassing Angel. It stopped in front of her and grabbed her arm. In its hand was a small thin pipe looking thing. The demon, Trepkos, touched it to the bracelet and Buffy's eyes widened as the bracelet unlocked.

She looked to the demon and he handed it to her. 'I may not like the Vampire,' he said. 'But I respect you, Slayer. What you do now is up to you.'

Buffy watched him as he ran off towards the door. She lifted her eyes to the crowd above them and saw their terrifies faces as they realised the demons were free and out for revenge. Most ran. Most made it.

Buffy looked at Angel who was staring at her. She sheepishly smiled at him and he tentatively half-smiled back at her. She ran over to where he stood and used the key Trepkos had given her. The moment the bracelet was off he clutched her in a fierce hug. She kissed him and smiled into his eyes. He opened his mouth to apologise but closed it when Buffy shook her head, 'Not now.'

He pulled back from her, brushing the back of his hand along her bruised cheek and turned to where Jack was still sitting, seemingly frozen.

Angel smiled.

* * *

Second last chapter. Next: it all goes down.

Please review, let me know how I'm doing


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Joss owns it all… damn him.**

I am so, so, so, so, so, SO sorry for taking so long to post this last chapter. I haven't had access to my computer for the past weekbecause of work and my birthdayso i couldn't put it up. I am so sorry. 

Here it is; the final chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Angel turned to where Jack was still sitting, seemingly frozen.

He smiled.

Jack stood, looking around wildly for a way out. In the confusion, no one noticed Lilah slipping out a side door, a disappointed look crossing her face. Angel ran forward and leapt up to the floor where Jack was. He punched him hard in the face, then snapped the bracelet he'd taken of his arm around Jack's wrist. Jack's eyes widened and he began to shake his head wildly, denying what was happening.

Buffy tried to watch what Angel was doing but was distracted as some demons decided that now that they were free, they could take down the Slayer. She took a blow to the back and almost collapsed, still worn out from her tussle with Angel. She reared up and kicked an unfortunate demon between the legs then ran to the wall and picked a good sized sword. She swang it warningly and advanced on the still downed demon. She decapitated it and moved onto the next, slicing it open with a flick of her wrist.

There was a large growl from the corner as the demons began to fight amongst each other and Buffy looked up in time to see Wesley and Cordelia coming into the ring from the direction of the holding area. _So that's how Trepkos got a hold of the key. Go Wes with the knowledge. _Both held weapons and were heading towards Angel slowly, cutting down demons as they went. Against her will, Buffy was impressed. Wesley had come a long way from the girly watcher she knew before and Cordelia had also changed dramatically. Granted, Buffy knew this already, Angel had told her, but it was another thing to see it for herself.

The fight was over fairly quickly after that. Buffy took a few more hits and killed a few more demons before the rest retreated and left the ring, going through the front door and out into the night. She frowned a little but remembered most of them were peaceful and were only going home to their families. The one who weren't, littered the floor around her.

She could still hear the sounds of fighting and glanced up in time to see Angel punch Jack in the face, breaking his nose. Blood spurted everywhere and Jack clutched it unable to fight off Angel as he lifted him into the air and threw him over the side of the barrier and into the ring. Jack began to scream and Buffy realised with a shock, why. He wore the bracelet. As he fell past the red line, his body burst into ash, rather like a vampire and Angel and Buffy watched with a mixed set of emotions. _At least Angel didn't kill him directly,_ she thought.

She looked at the scattered ashes for a few moment before looking back up to Angel who was staring at her, trying to gauge her reaction. She gave him a small smile and a nod of understanding. She'd have killed him too if he'd done anything to Angel. He nodded back to her and jumped down from the above level. He walked over to her, ignoring Cordelia and Wesley. Angel missed, but Buffy didn't, Cordelia's put out look and she decided Cordelia needed to be reminded of who Angel's heart belonged to.

Angel came to stand before her and looked into her eyes and Buffy could see a small amount of shame and a large amount of satisfaction in the chocolate orbs. He was ashamed of what he did, but didn't regret it. She reached up and caressed his face lightly. 'Let's get out of here,' she said softly and he nodded. He reached for her hand and drew it to his lips, kissing her palm lightly, then pulled her closer. He pushed a piece of hair from her face and looped it behind her ear.

Smiling slightly, he lowered his head and grazed her lips with his, then rested his forehead on hers, eyes closed. The world disappeared for a few blessed moments and Buffy wanted to stay where she was, held safely in Angel's arms, for the rest of her life. She reached up and cradled the back of his head her hand tangling in the soft strands of hair. She smiled and pulled away.

'Come on, big boy, we gotta go,' she said playfully, taking his hand and guiding him towards an impatient Cordy and a smiling Wesley.

'Is everything okay?' Wesley asked as they approached. Buffy glanced at Angel then back at Wesley.

'Everything's peachy,' she drawled and remembered the key. She stepped forward and punched Wesley playfully in the shoulder, laughing when he flinched. 'Nice going with the key, Wes. At least someone around here uses a brain.'

Angel and Cordy both protested and Buffy cut them off. 'Angel, you ended up here, need I say more? Cordy, well, what can I say about you? Thanks for having enough brains to grab the spare bracelet when Jack wasn't looking.' Buffy hadn't forgotten about the argument about Cordelia's place in Angel's life. She winced. They were gonna need to have a big talk after this.

'Thanks Cordy, for doing whatever it is you do and helping to get us out of this. I appreciate it,' Buffy finished truthfully, deciding to give Cordy that small concession. After all she did just help save their lives.

The bitching could be put on hold for another day.

Buffy stepped out of the shower at Angel's place and wrapped the enormous towel around her wet form, tightly tucking the end in. Wiping away the condensation which had fogged the mirror, she touched the lip Angel had spilt when he'd backhanded her. It was already healing nicely. _I deserved it anyway,_ she thought. _I shouldn't have started on him like that. I couldn't seem to help it._ All her old issues seemed to come out as she was fighting him and they seemed to take over.

Exiting the bathroom she found some clothes lying on the bed along with a note in Angel's beautiful flowing handwriting.

_I found these in amongst my things when I first came to L.A._

_Thought you might like to wear them home. They should still fit._

_A_

She put down the note and quickly dressed, surprised her old clothes did indeed still fit. Leaving the room, she heard him moving around somewhere in the apartment and followed the sounds to his kitchen. He was cooking something and she watched entranced as he moved effortlessly.

Angel was cooking Buffy something to eat when he sensed her behind him. He turned and saw her standing in the doorway, dressed in the clothes he had left for her. He smiled at her and motioned her to a chair around the table. He placed some French toast in front of her. 'Eat,' he ordered and relaxed when she picked up her knife and fork and began to tuck into the food with gusto. He sat down across from her, content to watch her eat.

She raised her eyebrows and he smiled and shrugged. He liked watching her. Was that a crime? When she finished he put her plate in the sink and returned to his seat. Buffy was the first to break the silence.

'Thanks… you know, for the food,' she looked down, 'And the clothes.'

'I couldn't let you leave in the clothes you came in, Buffy. They were beyond repair. I would have given you some of my clothes but,' he smiled, 'I never seem to get them back.' She blushed and looked down. 'And I knew you had to be hungry.'

'Yeah,' she said softly. 'Anyway, thanks. I don't deserve anything from you after what I said-'

'I understand, Buffy,' he assured her. 'I hurt you. I know that,' he looked down. 'I didn't want to leave you, Buffy, but I had to. For your own good, for my own good. We couldn't have stayed together, not then. Too many things were going on and us… us complicated things. I left for you to have a normal life, yes, I admit that, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt me to see you with someone else. I left you to have a normal life and to see you having one, hurts me more than I ever thought I would.'

Tears leaked from Buffy's eyes as she sat listening Angel's speech. All she wanted was him. Didn't he see that? 'I still love you, you know, I can't stop. I told you I can't change.' she said so softly he wouldn't have heard it if he hadn't been a vampire.

'I love you too Buffy, I never stopped. It was never a question of me not loving you, it was a question of how much. Did I love you enough to give you what you deserved, a normal life? I did what I thought was right.'

'What about what I wanted,' Buffy sat up straighter and spoke louder. 'I'm a slayer Angel. I'm never going to have a normal life, never going to settle down with Average Joe because I'd probably get him killed. Don't you see that? My only chance of a normal- well, slightly normal- relationship was with you. You're the only one who could make me happy,' more tears rolled down her cheeks.

'I'm also the only one who could hurt you. Angelus taught me that. One day there will be a time for us, Buffy, but that time is not now. We will be together one day, count on it. I will come for you when it's all over.'

'When what's over?'

'Everything,' he replied and pulled her into searing kiss, a kiss she felt even inthe darkest partsof her soul.

He was right…of course. Their time was not now, but it was coming. They'd be together someday, come hell or high water. Until then, they'd keep in touch, call, write… anything.

She left for Sunnydale that night, feeling more hopeful than she had in a long time.

Someday.

* * *

Yay! I finally finished. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Much appreciated. Hope you liked the end. Let me know. 


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